Imja Tse Mountain - Island Peak

The Imja Tse Mountain is also known as "Island Peak"
and
is located near the base camp of Mount Everest. Even though it is not
the
highest peak compared to the other mountains in Nepal,
with
a height of 6,183 meters, it is a very challenging climb. Eric Shipton
and
his expedition looked down on the mountain from Dingboche in 1952 and
named
the mountain Island Peak, as it looked like a deserted
island in the center of a sea of ice. It was renamed to Imja
Tse in the year 1983, but locals still refer to the mountain
as
Island Peak.

As with most mountains in Nepal, Imja Tse offers its own and unique
challenges along the way and requires climbers to have mountaineering
experience. It is known as a basic snow climb or ice climb and the use
of
ropes, ice-axes and crampons are necessary to make the climb. Many
climbers
use Imja Tse to make the transition from lower to higher altitude
climbs
here. It was even used by the world famous expedition that consisted of
Charles Evans, Charles Wylie, Tenzing Norgay, Alf Gregory and their
Sherpa
companions, to get ready to summit Mount Everest in 1953. On Island
Peak
they were able to test oxygen sets and practice their climbing
techniques
before challenging the highest mountain in the world.

The recommended months to climb Imja Tse are April, May, October
and
November. After passing through Dingboche, the base camp of Mount
Everest, climbers can make their way to Chhukung. They can then decide
to
set up camp somewhere between 5,300 to 5,600 meters. Climbers must
remember
to give themselves time to acclimatize and should rest after
approximately
four to six hours of walking. Climbers and trekkers should therefore be
reasonably fit to keep the pace. The ascent to the summit of Imja
Tse is
where the climb gets quite difficult.

To summit Island Peak climbers need to overcome the very narrow
ridges
and extremely steep slopes. It is here that climbing skills and
techniques
are vital. Climbers will make use of scrambling techniques to make it
to the
ice field. The ice field is approximately 200 meters, which in turn
will
lead climbers to the headwall. On this last part of the climb, climbers
will
be forced to use ice-axes, crampons and ropes to safely summit the
mountain.
Once climbers have conquered Island Peak, they will be rewarded by
breathtaking views and the elation of victory.